1. Field of This Invention
This invention relates to animal and poultry feed which contains a medicinal agent that is a selective fungicidal mold inhibitor of Candida albicans. This invention also relates to the use of such feed to spare animals and poultry from the toxic effects of aflatoxins and other mycotoxins in feed.
2. Art Section
It is known that a given strain of mold may gain or lose its ability to produce toxins without known reason. Several reasons for this phenomenon have been advanced, namely, change of substrate, genetics, stage of growth, accumulation and metabolism of the toxin, and actual stability of the toxin.
Facial eczema of sheep in New Zealand has been caused by Pithomyces chartarus -- the toxin caused liver damage and skin disorders. A malady in horses, cattle, and poultry has been caused by a toxin from a mold called Stachybotrys atra. A field outbreak in Georgia of mold toxicosis in swine resulted from corn left in the field -- the toxic molds were Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium rubrum. A massive outbreak of toxicity from moldy ground nut meal (peanut) occurred in England -- the toxin producing mold was a strain of Aspergillus flavus. The common name applied to the disease is "Turkey X" disease, and the poisonous material has been designated as "Aflatoxin." Aflatoxin has carcinogenic properties. Hemorrhagic disease in chicks occurred -- toxins from certain molds will cause lesions indistinguishable from field hemorrhagic disease. Bovine hyperkeratosis has been caused by Aspergillus clavatus. A toxicosis from moldy feed at Texas Agricultural Experimental Station was caused by unidentified molds. The mold brought on acute lysine deficiency. Arginine was similarly affected. These amino acids alleviated most of the problem in poults.
Forgacs wrote in 1954 that aflatoxin was a feed mold problem.
Aflatoxicosis is recognized as a toxic disease problem occurring as a result of fungus growth in feeds and feedstuffs. Even if the fungus is killed in the feedstuffs the aflatoxin that has been produced by the growing fungus remains in the feed as a poison which then produces the symptoms of aflatoxicosis when the basal feed is ingested by poultry. There is a need for an effective active ingredient to be added to the inert ingredients of the basal feed to effect a reduction or "sparing effect" in the consuming poultry from the poisonous affects of the aflatoxin-containing feed. Such a sparing effect is obviously not produced by the ingredients which normally comprise a basal poultry feed, hence such ingredients are "inert" re the aflatoxicosis problem.
Aflatoxin, produced by Aspergillus flavus, causes Turkey X disease. The duck is most susceptible, followed by the turkey and chicken in that order.
Fungal growth can occur in ground grains having as little as 12 percent moisture. The heat and moisture given off by fungal growth activity encourages more fungal growth. Mold growth often occurs which causes certain molds to produce mycotoxins. Several of these mycotoxins are quite toxic and present a serious problem to animals and poultry by death, loss of weight or lessened weight gain, etc. Chronic mycotoxicoses from the long term low intake of mycotoxins often cause reduced growth rate and appetite, among other things. Recovery is slow even when switched to feeds free of mycotoxins. Another danger is that aflatoxin has been demonstrated to be a carcinogen. Mycotoxins, and aflatoxin in particular, are difficult to remove from feedstuffs. Heat is ineffective; U.V. irradiation and solvent extraction are effective, but quite economically unfeasible. Certain acids, bases and other compounds have been used to neutralize aflatoxin in feed, but most of such compounds appear to have been unsatisfactory for a number of reasons.